Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)Where and when to see it in the UK
Winter visitor · reporting peaks October to November · Plovers and Lapwings · BOU category AF
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Grey Plover has been recorded in 732 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (25%) in records to 2026. Winter visitor in the UK. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting peaks in October to November.
Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, VU)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 25% or more of visits
- High
- 6% to 25%
- Moderate
- 2% to 6%
- Low
- under 2%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 4% | Very high |
| February | 60% | 3% | Very high |
| March | 39% | 2% | High |
| April | 31% | 2% | Low |
| May | 35% | 2% | Low |
| June | 13% | <1% | Low |
| July | 13% | <1% | Low |
| August | 47% | 2% | Moderate |
| September | 66% | 3% | Moderate |
| October | 100% | 5% | High |
| November | 87% | 4% | Very high |
| December | 70% | 3% | Very high |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in October
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| D14 | Causeway Coast and Glens, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| HP61 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU41 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU44 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU58 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| J56 | Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| NJ86 | Aberdeenshire, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| NJ92 | Aberdeenshire, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| NO52 | Fife, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| NO64 | Angus, Scotland | 100% | Very high |